Chemistry

It's been an interesting year for science here. Sweet Pea is doing chemistry labs with a good friend of hers; they're each reading the text at home on their own. Rosie Jane is doing biology labs with a local co-op. She's really enjoying it, getting to see her friends and I'm happy that the biology labs are getting done somewhere else.

So far this year, chemistry has been going pretty well. She's doing understanding most of it and has had one tutoring session with a friend of mine that teaches chemistry in a local public school. She's really been enjoying the labs though. I think it helps to have her friend to do them with, plus they're actually kind of cool at least the recent ones have been. One week, they mixed up some chemicals and made the stuff that's inside glow sticks. Last week, they mixed up other chemicals, then heated them up, which caused a rather loud "pop." Startled Sweet Pea since although she read that it would do that, it was louder than expected. Yesterday, they mixed chemicals together (something about pH levels) and made pretty yellow, blue, and pink colors.

Can't wait to see what next week brings.

Snow Days!

Snow days! Don't you love them? As a kid, to me they always meant a day off from school. As a homeschooling mom...my kids aren't quite as lucky. Oh, they do get to enjoy the snow, they just don't get a full day off to hang out, watch tv, do nothing like their friends who go to school.

When they were younger and we got snow, they were usually the first ones up and they were dressed and out the door early. They'd play in the snow for a while, until they got cold and hungry. When they came in, it was time for cocoa, breakfast, and a bit of school. When they had warmed up, gotten a few things done, and their friends were awake, they'd head back out to play again. Then it was time for more cocoa and finishing up school. And another round of playing outside, if their friends were still up for it although most of the time, they weren't.

It's only December 11 and there have already been two snow days here. We had a snow/ice storm Sunday night into Monday, then a snowstorm on Tuesday and the public schools were closed both days. Neither days would have been much fun to go out and play in, we just didn't get that much snow and too much ice. Monday they did a regular day of school; there was no reason not to. On Tuesday, we had a bit more snow and some cookies to make since we're close to Christmas. They did a bit of school, then went outside for a while. Snow days are more fun when there's lots of snow to play in.

If this portends what's to come this winter, it'll be interesting. I'll need to work to keep them on track on snow days so they can get the time off they need in February and March and still finish school by the end of May. At least they (and I) enjoy watching the snow fall so it's pretty easy to move to a room with lots of windows, watch the snow fall, drink some cocoa, and get math done and save the playing outside for later.